“So, here we are,” Maria Matucci looked at me ruefully. “I guess this is it. Let me just fix the settings.” She turned to her phone and aptly clicked on something, scrolled down, then looked back up at me. “There we are. This way, you won’t remember a thing.” A victorious smile appeared on her face.

“Why did Dawn say I was AI?”

“Because you are, dear boy.” Dr. Matucci crossed her legs. “Because you are the very first living digital twin. Except, in your case, the digital twin IS you. Became you.” She flipped her hair back, and I could see the resemblance to Dawn again. The milky white skin, the clever eyes. “You see, Ryder, you are the perfect experiment. Dawn and I got jobs at the Lab together. She was working the night shift, and I was the shrink. Well, I still am.” She sneered. “Dawn and I, we’re the perfect pair. I knew my girl was special. You want to know why I named her Dawn?”

I shrugged, and the doctor straightened up her shoulders. A dreamy expression appeared on her face. It was almost pleasant.

“I’ve told you the story before, of course, but you don’t remember, do you? It’s because we wipe your memory clean each night and repopulate it with AI-generated experiences. It’s beautiful, really.”

“What?” I gulped. I was a robot? My mind was being controlled by AI?

“Oh, it’s not such a huge deal, really. It’s just the next step in the human evolution. Human beings, you see, are terrible at making decisions. Really terrible. At least most of them. Take your mother, for example. To move to America alone, with two boys, to be with a man she barely knew? Not good thinking.” Maria shrugged.

I clenched my fists, trying hard to stay calm. But I needed to hear what she had to say. I believed against all odds there was something in her speech that could save me. And so I sat still and nodded in agreement. I felt like a traitor. I gave up Mama, agreed that she’d made bad decisions, but if it could help me get out of this nightmare, it was worth it.

“So, my Dawn. I named her after a song.” Again, the doctor’s face was almost kind. “‘The Age of Aquarius by the 5th Dimension? You’ve heard the song, surely?” She chanted the lyrics. “By a hippy band, from the 60s. Well, I’m no hippy, but I believe we’re moving into a new world, where human beings will finally make good decisions. Dawn is named after my belief. It’s beautiful, isn’t it?” Maria Matucci shifted in her seat, as if settling in for a long conversation. “I like talking to you, Ryder. You listen. Well, I set it up that way, of course,” she chortled, “but still. It feels good to speak to a man. An attractive one, and to have him pay attention.” She licked her lips in an almost flirtatious gesture, and I cringed inside, but kept still. The woman was revolting, but she was speaking and revealing key pieces of information.

Maybe she was wrong and I wouldn’t forget the conversation? Maybe I could change the algorithm? The thought popped into my head, and, though I couldn’t understand what it meant, I grabbed onto it.

“You see, after working as a therapist for so many years, I believe most human beings are terrible at making decisions. I’ve seen proof over and over again. The thing is, trauma, all of that, rewrites our brain wiring. And once it happens, we’re stuck.” She looked up at me, scanning my face for a reaction, and I made sure to look calm, as if I was politely listening to what was turning out to be her monologue, and not plotting an escape.

“It’s sad. Some will tell you to meditate, to rewire your brain, to think happy thoughts. But we’ve seen how well that works. Enter AI!” She suddenly rose from the armchair and started pacing the room. “The second I got an offer from Chuck to work here, I knew I was onto something incredible.” She stopped and turned to me. “What is it with all these rich old men going by little boys’ names. Bobby. Teddy. Chuck.” She let out a puff of air. “Ridiculous.” A giggle. “But I digress. Chuck approached me when he just started the Lab. He wanted to make sure we weren’t completely screwing up people’s brains with AI. Poor thing, so naive. Of course we’re screwing people’s brains with AI. That’s the whole point!”

She walked up to me and was standing over me, hovering, hands on her hips. I tried to hold her gaze, but there was such malice in her stare, I had to look away.

“We use AI to erase your bad memories, to wipe out the neurological pathways that were created by those bad decisions, Ryder. And yours was the first brain we repaved with AI, so to speak.” A proud smile appeared on her face. “That’s how you became Ryder. Once we were done with you, Rodion was gone.” She leaned and moved her face close to mine, then reached and ruffled up my hair, as I was a dog. “Ryder, so adorable. Such a cutie.”

I felt like vomiting, but kept still. Change the algorithm. Maybe there is a way to get my memories back. To turn back the process. Maria Matucci stepped back.

Stolen novel; please report.

“Alright, I supposed I digress. We really should be wrapping up, and we do have to discuss the lawsuit.” She shook her head in dismay. “That’s the problem with success. Once you make it to the top, everyone wants a piece of you.”

I opened my eyes wide, expecting her to continue, but she made a circle around the room without saying a word. If this was it, I would miss something important. I needed her to continue. So, I cleared my throat and forced myself to ask,

“What lawsuit?”

“Oh, yes, of course.” Maria Matucci scratched her head. “I guess you have no memory of that, either. Which is how we got into that pickle of the situation to begin with. But the whole company, “AI Assisted Living”, Ryder, unfortunately, belongs to you. On paper, at least.”

“It does?” I gulped.

“Oh, yes, in case you can’t tell, you’re filthy rich, and I’m just your employee.” She giggled. “I get a regular salary, of course, and run the mental health part of your business. I’m the brains of this enterprise.” A hearty laugh followed. “Along with AI, of course. It’s cute, isn’t it?”

I wasn’t sure if she expected an answer, so I nodded in response. Maria Matucci was about to explain more, and it was helpful. It didn’t explain the wedding ring on my finger in the video, and I dared to ask.

“Am I married?”

“Oh, yes, of course. You’re married to Dawn.” The doctor shook her head. “Dear girl agreed to this herself. That was really the only way to have full control of the company. And once we got Chuck McPherson out, we couldn’t have you stay married to April.”

“What? April and I were married?” I felt tears well up in my eyes. I had a happy memory, something good that existed in my past, that was almost within reach.

“Yes, at one point.” Maria Matucci narrowed her eyes and stared at me. “But that’s all done.”

“What year is this?” I asked.

“2026.” Maria Matucci responded with a shrug. “But that’s irrelevant. Time is just a construct.”

“Time is just a construct?” I repeated. CM. I remembered the Count, his instructions, overriding the source code. Was that all Maria Matucci’s doing? The tips of my fingers growing cold, I asked, “The Count is you?”

“Of course it is. Dawn was the one to come up with the idea. My Dawn is a little genius. It was also her idea to name the teddy bear Phil.” Maria giggled. “You should have seen your face, when I told you to hug him.”

“All that was you?”

“Oh, yes. We read your essay, Ryder. Remember? Justice, all that, taking it into your hands. What a great idea! Dawn is amazing, I do have to say. And it worked. It really worked. Thank your lucky stars, Ryder, for the great life you’re having, all thanks to us.”

She’d stopped pacing and came up close. “Are you grateful?” She asked and, without waiting for an answer, nodded. “Of course you are! How can you not be? Married to a beautiful girl like Dawn, all that money, power. You’ve made it, dear boy, you really have.” She flipped her hair. “Now, of course, I wish we were living in a more evolved society, where you wouldn’t need a man to run a tech business. But, alas, America is so backward, they will not trust a woman to run an AI business. Not a cutting edge one like ours. And your face sells. All those pathetic gamers out there, they see you and they trust you. They see themselves in you. They wanna be like you. They want to get rid of the bad memories. They want AI to take control. Just asking for it.” She pointed at the screen, where the commercial with me in it had restarted.

“I see. And the lawsuit?” I asked, gripping the edge of my seat. I’d had enough of this conversation. What if I clock her in the temple? I thought, and the idea pleased me.

“The lawsuit. Yes. Back to that. It’s your brother who filed the lawsuit against us. I think he just wants your money, but he says we’ve been manipulating you and holding you against your will.” She shook her head. “But who would believe him?”

“Sergei?”

“Yes, Sergei. But you see, we got you, dear boy, April and I. If your brother doesn’t drop the lawsuit, we’ll go public with the murder.”

“What?” My lips felt numb.

“Yes, your little revenge plot against your step-father.” A sly smile appeared on her face. “That’s how we got you you know where.” She made a grabbing gesture with her hand. “As if controlling your mind wasn’t enough.”

“I killed my step-father?” I shook my head. had no memory of this. Only the plotting, the dream of sweet revenge, of plunging a knife into him, cutting him, taking his life, settling the score. Avenging Mama. Had I already done that?

“I have it right here.” She took out her phone. “They never found the driver.” Maria Matucci looked at the phone and the screen came alive. “Of a Ryder truck.”

“What?”

“Oh, yes. Your step-father got killed by a truck. It was a Ryder truck. A nice twist. Ryder driving a Ryder truck. Phil was going to see his mother, to wish her a happy mother’s day.”

“I? What? It wasn’t me.” I shook my head. “I never did that.”

“Ah, well. Can you really trust your memories, dear boy?” She chuckled.

My mouth gaped open as I stared at her, anger boiling in me.

“Here’s a little video I took of the accident. It’s saved in my favorites folder.” She clicked and turned her attention to the screen for a moment.

And that was just the distraction I needed.

I snatched the phone out of her hands and, before she could do anything, ran upstairs, punched in the code and was out of the Lab in seconds. I don’t know where I got the strength, but I felt superhuman. Maybe I was channeling those AI powers and whatever training Ryder had. The kitchen was empty, and I pushed the table to the door of the Lab, blocking it. It was a heavy wooden table, and there was no way Maria could get out, not until someone would discover her stuck there. I couldn’t leave using the main entrance, so there was just one way out. I opened the kitchen window and was out of the Lab, on the street. The hot summer air slapped my face. I guess it is August. Flashed in my mind.

And then I ran. I knew I was Rodion, I knew I still had a chance. I had to get my memories back and to become human again.